Tempering Society's Looking Glass: Correcting Misconceptions About the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Securing American Democracy

Louisiana Law Review Volume 76 | Number 1 The Voting Rights Act at 50: The Past, Present, and Future of the Right to Vote A Symposium of the Louisiana Law Review Fall 2015 Tempering Society's Looking Glass: Correcting Misconceptions About the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Securing American Democracy Orville Vernon Burton Repository Citation Orville Vernon Burton, Tempering Society's Looking Glass: Correcting Misconceptions About the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Securing American Democracy, 76 La. L. Rev. (2015) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol76/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at LSU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Louisiana Law Review by an authorized editor of LSU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact . 7HPSHULQJ6RFLHW\¶V/RRNLQJ*ODVV&RUUHFWLQJ 0LVFRQFHSWLRQV$ERXWWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI DQG6HFXULQJ$PHULFDQ'HPRFUDF\ Orville Vernon Burton 7$%/(2)&217(176  ,QWURGXFWLRQ , +LVWRULFDO1HFHVVLW\RIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI 'LVIUDQFKLVHPHQWDQG)HLJQHG,JQRUDQFHLQWKH6RXWK  $ 7KH(DUO\6WUXJJOHIRU$IULFDQ$PHULFDQ3ROLWLFDO3RZHU  % 7KH5LVLQJ7LGHRI$IULFDQ$PHULFDQ9RWHU 3DUWLFLSDWLRQ'XULQJ5HFRQVWUXFWLRQ  & 7KH3RVW5HFRQVWUXFWLRQ'LVPDQWOLQJRI $IULFDQ$PHULFDQ9RWLQJ5LJKWV   7KH7H[DV([SHULHQFH   D 7KH:KLWH3ULPDU\   E 'LVFULPLQDWRU\/LWHUDF\DQG3ROOLQJ3ODFH 5HTXLUHPHQWV   F 3ROO7D[   7KH1DWXUHRI'LVIUDQFKLVHPHQWLQWKH-LP &URZ6RXWK ,, 7KH3URYLVLRQVRIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI $9LVLRQDQGD9LFWRU\  $ 7KH9LVLRQRIWKH$FW  % 7KH+LJKOLJKWVRIWKH$FW  & $Q,QFRPSOHWH9LFWRU\ ,,, 7KH,PSDFWRIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRIRQWKH %URDGHU&LYLO5LJKWV0RYHPHQW)URPWKH6WUHHWVWRWKH &RXUWKRXVH  $ 7KH5ROHRIWKH0HGLDLQWKH&LYLO5LJKWV0RYHPHQW  % 7KH0HGLDDQGWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI    &RS\ULJKWE\259,//(9(5121%85721   7KH$XWKRUWKDQNVWKHHGLWRUVRIWKHLouisiana Law ReviewIRUWKHLUZRUN RQ WKLV $UWLFOH DQG DOVR WKDQNV $QGHUVRQ 5RXVH $OH[DQGUD %HWKOHQIDOY\ - 0RUJDQ.URXVVHU$UPDQG'HUIQHU3DXO)LQNHOPDQ1DWDVKD.RUJDRQNDUDQG 3HWHU(LVHQVWDGW3DUWRIWKLV$UWLFOHLVWDNHQIURPWKLV$XWKRU¶V([SHUW5HSRUW IRUWKHFDVHU.S. v. Texas1RFY 6'7H[    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³GHFDGHVROGGDWDDQGHUDGLFDWHGSUDFWLFHV´)RUWKH&RXUWWKHKLVWRU\RI GHMXUHUDFLDOGLVFULPLQDWLRQZDVFRPIRUWDEO\LQWKHSDVWDQGWKHIHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW ZDV QR ORQJHU MXVWLILHG LQ VLQJOLQJ RXW VWDWHV WKDW ZHUH WUDGLWLRQDOO\ WKH PRVW HJUHJLRXV GHQLHUV RI FLYLO ULJKWV 7KH &RXUW¶V KLVWRULFDOREVHUYDWLRQLVQRWRQO\ZURQJLWUHSUHVHQWVDQLQFUHDVLQJO\OD[ DWWLWXGHWRZDUGWKHKLVWRU\RIWKH&LYLO5LJKWV0RYHPHQWDQGWKHRQJRLQJ VWUXJJOHIRUUDFLDOHTXDOLW\DWWKHEDOORWER[$PRUHFRPSOHWHDQGQXDQFHG YLHZ RI WKLV KLVWRU\ RU PRUH VSHFLILFDOO\ WKH KLVWRU\ RI RQH RI WKH    6KHOE\&QW\Y+ROGHU6&W±     See id.   See id. DW ± ³,I &RQJUHVV KDG VWDUWHG IURP VFUDWFK LQ  >6HFWLRQRIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI@SODLQO\FRXOGQRWKDYHHQDFWHGWKH SUHVHQW FRYHUDJH IRUPXOD ,W ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ LUUDWLRQDO IRU &RQJUHVV WR GLVWLQJXLVKEHWZHHQ6WDWHVLQVXFKDIXQGDPHQWDOZD\EDVHGRQ±\HDU±ROGGDWD ZKHQ WRGD\¶V VWDWLVWLFV WHOO DQ HQWLUHO\ GLIIHUHQW VWRU\ $QG LW ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ LUUDWLRQDOWREDVHFRYHUDJHRQWKHXVHRIYRWLQJWHVWV\HDUVDJRZKHQVXFKWHVWV KDYHEHHQLOOHJDOVLQFHWKDWWLPH%XWWKDWLVH[DFWO\ZKDW&RQJUHVVKDVGRQH´    @  TEMPERING SOCIETY’S LOOKING GLASS  PRYHPHQW¶V JUHDWHVW YLFWRULHV²WKH 9RWLQJ 5LJKWV $FW RI ²LV QHHGHGWRJXDUDQWHHFRQWLQXHGSURJUHVVWRZDUGDPRUHLQFOXVLYH$PHULFDQ GHPRFUDF\ 2QHRIWKHPRVWLPSRUWDQWJRDOVRIWKH&LYLO5LJKWV0RYHPHQWZDVWR HQVXUHYRWLQJULJKWVIRU$IULFDQ$PHULFDQVOLYLQJLQWKH6RXWKZKRZHUH DOPRVWFRPSOHWHO\GLVIUDQFKLVHG1HDUO\DFHQWXU\DIWHUWKHUDWLILFDWLRQRI WKH)LIWHHQWK$PHQGPHQWWKHYDVWPDMRULW\RI6RXWKHUQ$IULFDQ$PHULFDQV KDGQRPHDQLQJIXOLQIOXHQFHRQWKHHOHFWLRQRISXEOLFRIILFLDOV7KLVUHDOLW\ FUHDWHGDYLFLRXVF\FO (...truncated)